Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s Surprising Move: What It Means for 2025 — and How It Impacts You

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Monday announced $110 million in state grants that will help 11 school districts renovate aging facilities, replace temporary classrooms and add career-focused labs—his administration’s largest single round of education-infrastructure awards to date. Why it matters • Kentucky’s Department of Education estimates more than 50 percent of public-school buildings are at least 30 years old. • The new funding, part of last spring’s bipartisan HB 1 budget deal, targets buildings ranked as “Category 5,” the state’s lowest condition rating. • Projects eligible for the cash infusion must break ground within 18 months, accelerating job creation in the construction trades ahead of the 2026–27 academic year. Districts set to benefit • Jefferson County will receive $28.4 million to demolish two 1950s-era wings at Iroquois High and build a STEM hub focused on advanced manufacturing. • Pike County secures $15.7 million for a new K-8 campus that replaces three flood-damaged buildings. • Hardin, McCracken, Fleming, Estill, Carter, Christian, Whitley, Letcher and Graves counties round out the list, landing between $4 million and $12 million each for roof repairs, energy-efficient HVAC and CTE workshops. What Beshear said Standing in the Capitol Rotunda beside superintendents and union carpenters, Beshear called the program “a promise kept to every Kentucky kid who deserves safe, modern classrooms.” He added that replacing outdated buildings will “lower utility bills, open pathways to high-earning careers and make our commonwealth more competitive.” The politics behind the push Beshear, a Democrat who won reelection last November in a state Donald Trump carried twice, has leaned into kitchen-table themes like education, health care access and workforce development. The governor’s Team Kentucky updates over the past two weeks have also touted: • A new website that offers real-time scam alerts and identity-theft resources for seniors. • A class of 64 Kentucky State Police cadets—the largest since 2014— who began academy training on Aug. 10. • A forthcoming “major economic-development announcement,” teased for later this week, that Beshear says will “redefine Kentucky’s role in the EV supply chain.” Looking ahead Analysts note the $110 million school-construction splash comes as a pro-Beshear super PAC reported raising $1.44 million in the first half of 2025, far outpacing early fundraising by possible 2027 GOP contenders. With the governor term-limited in 2027, the burst of capital-intensive projects could help cement a legacy—and create a springboard for a potential federal bid. What’s next Bid packages for the 11 districts go out this month; groundbreakings are expected as early as December. Local boards must submit quarterly progress reports to the Finance Cabinet, which will release funds in five installments tied to construction milestones. Bottom line By channeling a record $110 million into Kentucky’s most dilapidated schools, Andy Beshear is again positioning education at the center of his agenda—banking on new bricks, mortar and career labs to pay dividends in student achievement and statewide economic growth.